The Great Abraham & Straus Cheesecake Contest

The Flagship Department Store on Fulton Street in Brooklyn is gone, but memories of the restaurant and the shopping and the cheesecake remain

I made the Original A&S Cheesecake recipe and it DID NOT disappoint. Photo: Jolene

There are three things I remember about a summer afternoon in the late 1960s spent with my mother and grandmother shopping at the A&S on Fulton Street:

1. The Elevator Court that was the beautiful hub of the store, with its multiple elevators and gorgeous, ornate metalwork.

The Elevator Court at A&S. Photo courtesy Michael J. Lisicky

2. The Garden Room Restaurant, a lovely and airy place with big windows and floral designs— a place to enjoy lunch during a day of shopping.

The Garden Room Restaurant, A&S Brooklyn, 1966. Photo: Library of Congress

3. And, the shopping. To be exact, on that day, a print mini dress my grandmother bought me that had a Peter Pan collar and little covered buttons.

Not me, but it coulda been. Illustration: Getty Images

This was a big, beautiful, grand place and going there was an event. Founded in the mid-19th century, the footprint of the store continued to grow during the 20th Century.

The author, historian and lecturer Michael J. Lisicky has chronicled the rise and fall of A&S in his terrific book Abraham and Straus: It’s Worth a Trip from Anywhere.

As I was researching this post a few weeks ago,

Anne Kadet

of the wonderful

CAFÉ ANNE

ran a piece about the liquidation sale at the Macy’s on Fulton Street. From Anne:

The store actually dates back further than that. Founded in 1865, it was known for most of its life as the Abraham & Straus department store before it became a Macy's in 1995.

Another chapter in the history of Fulton Street and two iconic department stores has closed.

But we’ll always have cheesecake. ✨

The Great A&S Cheesecake Contest and Recipe

Photo: Jolene

In his book, Abraham and Straus, Michael J. Lisicky tells us this about the Great A&S Cheesecake Contest:

In the late 1960s, the Great Abraham & Straus Cheesecake Contest was inaugurated. Every March, hundreds of amateur bakers descended on the Brooklyn store, along with most A&S branches. A team of judges reviewed the cakes and tasted a sliver of each submission. After a list of finalists was compiled, contestants gathered at the Brooklyn store for further deliberation. Each amateur baker was required to bake his or her cake in the Brooklyn store kitchen. A team of four to five New York City chefs selected the winning cheesecakes. Monetary prizes were awarded to the top three prizewinners. The Great Abraham & Straus Cheesecake Contest became a popular and beloved tradition.

The book contains five of the winning recipes, along with the A&S Cheesecake recipe, which I am sharing now with permission. It is a New York Cheesecake all the way—creamy, rich, luscious and close to three inches high.

Photo: Jolene

Here’s the recipe:

6 ounces soft, creamy farmer cheese (I substituted Ricotta)

1 pound, 14 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature (30 ounces total)

1 cup sugar

3 eggs plus 2 yolks, at room temperature*

2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice

1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract

¾ cup sour cream

¾ cup heavy cream

*I know eggs are pricey at the moment, you can freeze the 2 unused egg whites for future use.

Place a rack in the upper third of the oven and preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 9-inch springform pan with non-stick cooking spray and line the bottom with a round of parchment paper. Spray the parchment. Wrap the outside of the pan with aluminum foil to prevent any water from coming in from the water bath.

Press the farmer cheese through a fine mesh strainer to ensure that the curds are fine. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or use a large bowl and a hand mixer), mix the farmer cheese, cream cheese and sugar. Beat on low speed for two minutes, or until smooth, scraping down the side of the bowl.

Add the eggs and egg yolks, one at a time, scraping down the bowl and paddle or beaters after each addition. Beat in the lemon juice and vanilla. Scrape down the bowl and paddle. Still on low speed, beat in the sour cream. Slowly add the heavy cream, beating until blended; stop to scrape down the bowl and paddle every 30 seconds. Gently press the finished batter through a fine mesh strainer.

Pressing the batter through a strainer. Photo: Jolene

Pour the mixture into the prepared pan, scraping every last bit out of the bowl with a rubber spatula. Place the pan in a larger baking or a roasting pan and place on the oven rack. Pour enough hot water into the baking pan to come halfway up the side of the springform pan.

Bake 1 hour.

Turn off the oven; do not open the oven door. Leave in the oven another 45 minutes to I hour; the cake will be golden and set (if you don't have a window, open the oven door quickly to check).

Remove the cake from the oven, remove from the water bath to a rack and cool about 2 hours until it reaches room temperature.

Refrigerate at least 4 hours.

To serve, run a knife around the inside of the side of the springform pan and remove the side. Allow the cake to stand at room temperature 20 minutes before serving. Makes 16 services.

Enjoy!

Many thanks to Michael J. Lisicky who is the author of ten books that celebrate the legacies of America's favorite bygone department stores.

See you soon!

Jolene